Nottingham Forest 2-1 Aston Villa: Martinez makes ‘incredible
BBC pundit Marcus Albrighton wasn’t the only one to think Nottingham Forest’s Nicolas Dominguez finally broke the deadlock.
The game at the City Ground was monotonous until Morgan Gibbs-White took a Forest corner kick and midfielder Dominguez stooped to head home from just four yards out.
Aston Villa’s goal passes behind Emiliano Martinez. Yet somehow, like a “magician,” the Argentinian goalkeeper managed to stop the ball on the goal line and drag it away from the goal.
John Duran scored moments later and Martinez’s save looked crucial, but Forest launched a late counterattack and won 2-1 – Martinez will be disappointed not to have equalized.
Former Wales defender Ashley Williams told BBC Match Today: “It was the best save I’ve ever seen. He’s very smart, he knows where he is and what he needs to do. He’s faced with Wrong direction.”
“Then, the ups and downs of goalkeeping, and pretty soon he gets into a routine.”
“I thought it was a good save,” Albrighton added. “Martinez went down so low, so fast and somehow kept it out.
“He wasn’t even facing the right direction and managed to snatch it away.
“Honestly, I couldn’t believe it. It was just centimeters away from going in, it was incredible. It’s one of the best I’ve ever seen.”
Martinez, 32, has won the Golden Glove trophy after helping Argentina win the 2022 World Cup, and pundit Jamie Redknapp compared Saturday’s save to one of the greatest in history – speaking on Sky Sports. —A comparison of England goalkeeper Gordon Banks’ saves at the 1970 World Cup.
“We’re talking about Gordon Banks’ Pele star,” Redknapp said. “I can’t think of a better Premier League save in my life.
“He somehow preserved it. It was almost like a magician’s trick. It was quite sensational.”
